Ronald Spektor, a 23-year-old from Brooklyn, received a prison sentence of up to 12 years for a phishing scheme targeting Coinbase users. The operation, which ran from April 2023 to December 2024, resulted in the theft of nearly $16 million from approximately 100 victims.
Spektor impersonated Coinbase support staff to manipulate users into transferring their digital assets into wallets under his control. He laundered the stolen funds using mixers, swapping services, and gambling platforms to obscure their origin. He also boasted about his activities online under the handle @lolimfeelingevil.
Following a guilty plea to a 31-count indictment, the court ordered Spektor to pay nearly $16 million in restitution and forfeit over $500,000 in assets. Authorities have recovered approximately $505,000 to date, leaving the majority of the stolen funds missing.
The investigation utilized a combination of traditional methods and blockchain analytics. This case marks a significant prison term for crypto-related phishing, highlighting the ongoing risks associated with social engineering attacks that impersonate exchange support teams.
